| Africa North |
| Algerian terror leaders call for end to al-Qaeda violence, kidnapping |
| 2010-07-17 |
| [Maghrebia] Othmane Touati and Samir Moussaab, two former leaders of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), on Thursday (July 15th) urged their ex-comrades to stop their "crimes" and promised reconciliation for those who renounce terrorism. Authorities set up a meeting between the former terrorists and reporters from five newspapers in order to read the contents of a letter to the "remaining armed elements in mountains" dated May 31st. The letter by Touati, a former member of Al-Qaeda's Council of Notables who is also known as Abou El-Abbes, demands that the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) stop its crimes, both planned and under way, against the Algerian people. "I realize that the path that I was following was not the right path, based on respected ancient and modern scholars' fatwas on the illegality of jihad in our country", said Touati, a GSPC founder and long-time "right hand" to AQIM chief Abdelmalek Droukdel. He said the terrorist organisation is facing some internal deteriorations. AQIM has suffered a string of defections in recent months that includes terrorist Grig-Ahsine Abdelhalim, an Algiers native who joined the GSPC in 1994 after escaping from Batna's Tazoult prison. AQIM medical committee head Mokadem Lounis, aka Abou Naamane, surrendered in mid-April, as did former El-Farouk brigade emir Ahmed Mansouri Ahmed, aka Abdeldjebbar. Those who still embrace jihad should review the approach of armed struggle, said Touati, who was once responsible for co-ordinating terrorist operations in Algeria's Boumerdes, Tizi-Ouzou and Bouira provinces. Several armed elements who were active in AQIM are planning to issue a review that includes criticism of Al-Qaeda methods such as kidnapping and the killing of Muslims, said Touati. "I urge my brothers to review their ways... and to think about the consequences of their behaviour", added the former terrorist, who surrendered to authorities on May 26th with the help of his wife and Moussaab. Moussaab, who was believed to have died in a confrontation with the Algerian army in April 2007, surrendered after a hospital stay that followed the clash. The former GSPC chief of staff promised reconciliation for those who leave the mountains, telling reporters: "Just as we were the reason for their ascent to the mountains, we will be the cause for them to come back down for reconciliation". Moussaab appealed to religious scholars who once issued fatwas on the legitimacy of jihad, only to revise that opinion, to reach out to insurgents. He pointed to scholars such as Abdelkader Ben Abdel Aziz, the ideologue of al-Qaeda who recanted his fatwas on the legitimacy of jihad in the land of Islam. Moussaab also called on Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG) leaders and their scholars, such as Khudair Khodr and Nasser Fahd, to convince those still in the mountains to come back to the "right path". These appeals build on religious reviews and previous appeals made by former leading terrorists, particularly the December 2009 calls by GSPC founding member Hassan Hattab. Mohammed Mesloub, a researcher on Islamist movements, told Magharebia that disseminating "rational revisions for the jihad groups, as is the case with the [LIFG], would be more effective than visiting scholars and preachers, because the Algerian jihadists have common values with the other jihadists of the Maghreb region". Hussein Boulahya, a media expert on Islamist groups, called the ideological revisions made by former GSPC leaders "only a prelude" to a series of revisions that ex-insurgents are preparing to release criticising "the approach of the GSPC and al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb". He said that such revisions by prominent former terrorist leaders "will have a positive effect in speeding up the repentance of armed elements who're reluctant to lay down their arms, not because of their belief in the legitimacy of jihad in Algeria, but because of fears of being exposed to violence". "The fact that leaders of the organisation have not been subjected to any harm may remove some concerns," added Boulahya. Local press reports quote Algerian officials as saying that for over 9 months, security forces have been pursuing a new initiative for reconciliation and the dismantling of terrorist cells. Some active terrorists and prisoners who have credibility with their comrades have become part of communications taking place since last March, under a heavy veil of confidentiality, said the authorities. This led to an agreement that would grant the terrorist prisoners conveniences in their cells as a prelude to their release, in exchange for their participation in convincing their former comrades to repent and issuing intellectual and doctrinal reviews. In recent months, under this scheme, authorities have brought the families of active terrorists to meet with them, including relatives of alleged terrorist Yahya Jouwadi, the commander of the desert Emirate. The daily Algeria News on July 6th reported that prisoners connected to this aspect of the fight against terrorism will be released in the next few months under a "deal" to bring AQIM terrorists, including Amar Saifi and his comrade Gharika Noureddine, into the fold of national reconciliation. The paper also reported that 50 terrorists who are entitled to presidential pardons have been chosen within the framework of recent months' behind-the-scenes negotiations, with the participation of former GSPC leader Hattab. |
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| Africa North |
| Bouira, Tizi Ouzou terrorists killed in Algeria security offensives |
| 2010-06-07 |
| [Maghrebia] Algerian security forces killed two terrorists overnight Friday (June 4th) near Tikdja, Bouira province. Another terrorist was killed earlier Friday in Ain El Hammam, some 50 km east of Tizi Ouzou, Tout sur l'Algerie reported. The action came within days of AQIM leader Abou El-Abbes' surrender in the same region. |
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| Africa North |
| Al-Qaeda leader El-Abbes surrenders in Algeria |
| 2010-06-03 |
| [Maghrebia] n the latest in a string of damaging defections from al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), one of its most senior leaders in Algeria, Abou El-Abbes, surrendered to security forces on Tuesday (May 25th). El-Abbes (real name Othmane Touati) was a member of the Council of Notables (Majles al-Ayan), AQIM's central decision-making body, and the right-hand man of AQIM leader Abdelmalek Droukdel. "The surrender was made possible through the assistance of his wife, who managed to convince her husband to abandon the criminal horde and return to his family", an unnamed security source told APS. The day after his surrender, El Abbes spoke to authorities about "the problems that armed groups are facing in the bush". He said that terrorists face difficult living conditions following Algerian army sweeps, as well as a lack of religious authority to legitimise suicide attacks, kidnappings and other terrorist activity, according to the daily newspaper Echourouk. El-Abbes, who also served as AQIM mufti and judge, joined the Armed Islamic Group (GIA) in 1993 before forging an alliance with Hassan Hattab. Together, they engineered the creation of the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat. With Abdelhamid Sadaoui, a former leader of the group who was born in the same village and has since been killed, he controlled the Centre-East region before being asked by Droukdel to take charge of legislative affairs. Most recently, he was responsible for co-ordinating terrorist acts in Boumerdes, Tizi-Ouzou and Bouira provinces. Analysts quoted in local press reports said the defection resulted from security operations, which have combined military pressure with efforts to encourage former terrorists such as Hattab to convince the families of active terrorists to persuade them to renounce violence. However, Echourouk quoted El-Abbas as saying that it was the lack of attacks over the past few months that led to this situation. El-Abbes also was quoted as saying that many AQIM members want to surrender due to the loss of all public support, as well as a shortage of new recruits. El-Abbes said that to cope with the shortfall, AQIM is recruiting mercenaries to re-start its terrorist campaign. He also mentioned recent calls by certain supporters for jihad to be justified so that their terrorist activity can continue and suicide bombings can be resumed. The pressure exerted by former GSPC members, religious scholars and certain theologians has hindered AQIM leaders' work, particularly recruitment, said the analysts. The analysts cited recent fatwas issued by religious scholars and theologians that challenge the concept of jihad in Algeria and condemn AQIM attacks. They said that such fatwas have destabilised AQIM, a point that Abou El-Abbas confirmed in his comments to Echourouk. Faced with this destabilisation, Droukdel appealed to the mufti of Al-Qaeda, who is known as the "spiritual father" of global jihad, Mohamed Maqdissi. However, the analysts said, Droukdel received no reply to his request that Maqdissi legitimise suicide bombings. El-Abbes' surrender marks the latest in a series of defections from al-Qaeda. Another terrorist, Grig-Ahsine Abdelhalim, turned himself in the same day as El-Abbes. The Algiers native joined the GSPC in 1994 after escaping from Batna's Tazoult prison. AQIM medical committee head Mokadem Lounis, aka Abou Naamane, surrendered in mid-April, as did former El-Farouk brigade emir Ahmed Mansouri Ahmed, aka Abdeldjebbar. One counterterrorism officer downplayed El-Abbes' surrender, saying on condition of anonymity, "It's not like it was an emir like [southern zone commander] Abu Zeid." "However, this surrender will certainly help security services," the officer conceded. |
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| Africa North |
| AQIM emir surrendered in Algeria |
| 2010-06-02 |
| [Maghrebia] Abou El-Abbes, the senior al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) leader initially reported as captured during a Boumerdes security sweep, actually surrendered on May 25th, Algerian security services announced on Monday (May 31st). "The surrender was made possible through the assistance of his wife, who managed to convince her husband to abandon the criminal horde and return to his family", an unnamed security source told APS. El-Abbes (real name Othmane Touati), a member of Al-Qaeda's Council of Notables (Majles al-Ayan), Law Committee chief and long-time "right hand" to AQIM chief Abdelmalek Droukdel, was responsible for co-ordinating terrorist operations in Algeria's restive Boumerdes, Tizi-Ouzou and Bouira provinces. His surrender marks the latest in a series of defections from al-Qaeda. Another terrorist, Grig-Ahsine Abdelhalim, turned himself in the same day as El-Abbes. The Algiers native joined al-Qaeda precursor GSPC in 1994 after escaping from Batna's Tazoult prison. AQIM medical committee head Mokadem Lounis, aka Abou Naamane, surrendered in mid-April, as did former El-Farouk brigade emir Ahmed Mansouri Ahmed, aka Abdeldjebbar. |
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